Today, I will be taking my blog in a new, but similar direction. Instead of summarizing books as before, I will be giving a review of the book; my personal opinion of the book at hand. That being said, I will be reviewing Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party by Ying Chang Compestine.

This book is inspirational with Ling's struggles and transformation. It is heartbreakingly wonderful to see her life ripped apart to be reconstructed slowly again. In revolutionary China, Ling starts to grow miserable with the wear of lack of food and questionable living condition. She keeps going everyday because she still has something to live for, mainly her parents, her father in particular. Her love for her father is beautiful. She is driven by that, so when things turn sour around her, when people go missing or are hurt, she has her father to fall back on. She has hope and shelter from him. Her father though is arrested, and when he is taken a way from them, she is exposed. She has no safety net. The removal of her father forces Ling to be strong on her own. She is faced with adversity but she powers through. The loss of a close friend, the knowledge that her mother may commit suicide, and the oppression of the bullies at school don't stop her. She is no longer a protected little girl at the end. Ling grows up and transforms into a strong, but wearied mature young woman. Luckily for her, the torment ends with the return of her father. Transformation is key in this book. The transformation of Ling, the transformation of China, everything is transformed , like a piece of paper into origami.